Naira depreciates: Currency sheds N3 against the dollar at official FX market

By: Abudu Olalekan

Tracking the foreign exchange market these days feel like a full-time job. And on Thursday, June 18, 2026, we got another reminder of just how unpredictable things are. The Nigerian naira took a slight hit again. It depreciated against the US dollar. Shedding about N3 at the official window.

If you look at the data shared directly on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official platform, the numbers don’t lie. The naira trade at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) window at a rate of N1,363.3040 to a dollar. By the time the market officially closed for the day, it settled at N1,365.5000 per dollar.

Just a day earlier on Wednesday, June 17, the currency was sitting at a somewhat better NFEM rate of N1,360.0725. So basically, it has depreciated by N3.23 compare to Thursday’s trading rate. A small drop. But in the FX world, every kobo counts.

Out on the streets, though? It’s a slightly different vibe.

At the parallel market, things actually looked a tiny bit better. According to the usual updates from Aboki FX that we monitor here at Reportersroom, the black market showed a bit of resilience. The naira-to-dollar buying rate appreciated by N5, settling at N1,400. Meanwhile, the selling rate saw a modest N2 bump when compared against the previous day, officially closing at N1,407 per dollar.

A mixed bag of results, honestly. The official window bleeds a little. The streets gain a fraction. That’s just the reality of the naira right now.

Unpredictable. Volatile. We just keep watching.